This Week in Mobile: Get the Most out of iOS 9

This Week in Mobile brings you the latest news about everything mobile every week. Check back every Monday at 1 pm to get a roundup of the latest news about technology, app development and more, curated for you.

This week’s theme is enhancing your mobile device. We’re going back to mobile roots and exploring the goodness of iOS 9 and iPhone 6S; maybe you’ve heard of them. With the iPhone 6S and 6S+ launching last week, iPhone pandemonium was at an all-time high (again).

And a new iPhone and iOS can only mean one thing: more exciting new features to explore! As a techie, this is pretty much Christmas in September. But there’s more! Facebook innovates, Bioshock is removed from mobile, and Pebble gets stylin’ – it’s been a busy week!

Now, time to get you caught up.

Get the Most Out of iOS 9 and your iPhone 6S

The best thing about getting a new iPhone is discovering all the amazing new things it can do. The iPhone 6S and 6S+ bring some really unique features to the table like Live Photos, 3D Touch trackpad selection, and Peeking in on emails and texts.

Even the less buzzword-y features can make for cool new additions. The added Low Power Mode is a great way to converse power in a pickle and Setting’s new search functionality is handy for finding some of the less-than-obvious options.

But while it’s always exciting to see what Apple does with it’s latest tech, but it won’t be until app developers get a hold of it that we see 3D Touch’s true potential.

And speaking of apps, check out this great list of the top 10 apps that take advantage of Apple’s latest breakthrough. While this is only the beginning of great 3D Touch-enabled apps, I’m sure iPhone 6S/6S+ users are eager to test out the new functionality in new and unique ways.

Instagram, Pinterest, AG Drive and Workflow all make the list of notable 3D Touch-enabled apps.

To Be or Not to Be

Former General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz must an Android guy. In an appearance on CNBC’s “Closing Bell”, Lutz claimed no company in the world has “made a nickel” on electric cars so far. Going as far as calling the electric car venture a “giant money pit” and saying Apple’s shareholders should be “very upset” with their decision to enter the automobile industry.

But this isn’t the first time Apple has done what others said was impossible. When the original iPhone was rumoured, Palm CEO Ed Colligan responded that “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in”. Apple didn’t just walk in, they blew down the doors.

And when the iPad was announced in 2010, Microsoft founder Bill Gates claimed that netbooks with real keyboards and touch input were a superior product.

It’s hard to say to what extend Apple is planning on entering the automobile industry – whether as a partnership, component developer or full-blown automobile manufacturer. But the one thing you can say definitely is Apple is no stranger to entering a market completely different from theirs and experiencing tremendous success.

To the dismay of its customers, Bioshock was suddenly removed from the App Store last week due to incompatibility with iOS 8.4 or higher. And now to make matters worse, the publisher behind Bioshock, 2K, and Apple have been passing the buck on refunds, with neither owning up to the decision.

While the removal is only temporary, it’s completely understandable for its customer to want a refund and just be done with the shengians. Let’s hope either Apple or 2K will own up to the mistake and help its customers out.

Stylin’ and Profilin’

Popular Kickstartee Pebble is back with the latest model of their wearable, the Pebble Time Round. While not the Pebble phone many were expecting, the Pebble Time Round is a stylish, slim and considerably more affordable (retailing at $249) alternative to the Apple Watch.

With that being said, the Pebble Time Round has all the same functionality you would expect from the Pebble Time Steel, albeit the Time Round is only splash resistant whereas the previous models are waterproof.

For it’s clean look and affordable retail price, the Pebble Time Round looks to be a great alternative for anyone looking to get into wearable tech.

I know, I know, there’s nothing sexier than a new iPhone o’natural. But you know what isn’t sexy? A cracked screen.

Protection doesn’t need to come at the cost of style. Whether you’re looking more something more simple like Speck’s light-weight CandyShell Clear or Griffin’s ultra-durable Survivor Summit, this list has all the best cases for your new iPhone.

What’s New in Social

From rumour to reality. Last week, we wrote about the rumors of Facebook developing a platform to allow 360-Degree videos on the Newsfeed. At the time, these rumors were hazy at best. It seemed all but certain 360-Degree videos would be a reality in the near future, but who knew the future would be this near?

And to add to the spectacle, Facebook teamed up with Star Wars to produce an ultra-immersive 360-Degree video look into The Force Awakens.

360-Degree videos work on both mobile and desktop, with the former being the better way to experience the video format. By moving your phone around, you are able to scan the wastleland as if you were really there. Desktop viewing, while still great, is a little less immersive as you pan around the video via your mouse.

Now that’s #instagood. Instagram has reached a new milestone: 400 million monthly active users. For comparison, Twitter is currently sitting at 316 million monthly active users, while Pinterest just hit 100 million. In total, Instagram says that its users are posting 80 million photos per day.

What’s particularly interesting about Instagram’s growth is that it’s largely happened outside of North America – according to Instagram, 75% of it’s user base is outside of the United States, with large growth coming from Europe and Asia.

What’s your favourite 3D Touch-Enabled app? What do you think of Bioshock’s sudden removal from the App Store? Sound off in the comments and let us know your opinions!

Check back next Monday at 1 pm for the latest tech news curated for you.